Ankle injuries are a very common injury especially in sports. It is estimated there is at least one ankle injury per 10,000 people per day in the U.S. Almost half of all basketball injuries are ankle injuries. About one-third of all soccer injuries are ankle injuries and one-fourth of volleyball injuries are ankle injuries. Some estimates indicate about one-third of all ankle sprains can result in some residual symptoms.
The primary concern as relates to ankles is to prevent both acute injuries and subsequent chronic functional instability. This functional instability may be characterized by complaints of a weak ankle or an unstable ankle with unpredictable giving way, chronic or recurrent sprains, difficulty when running on uneven surfaces or cutting or jumping in athletic activities.
There are two facets to the treatment of ankle injuries. The first is prevention of injuries, and the second is the treatment of the injury.
In reference to prevention, ankle taping has been shown to be effective in decreasing the incidence of ankle sprains in basketball players. The primary advantage of ankle taping is that it is extremely light weight and does not restrict any nominal range of motion.
Conventional tapes used for ankle taping have two distinguishing characteristics from the disclosure that follows. First, the tapes are elastic; they elastically stretch as placed on the skin. When the force is relieved, the tape (usually) returns to its former strength and tension around the ankle. Unfortunately, the elasticity reduces the effectiveness of the taping.
Second, the tapes non-elastically deform. In such deformation, the tapes stretch to a new length--and never elastically return to their old length. This is the greatest failing of such taping.
Problems with ankle taping relate to this elongation or deformation and to the fact that it gradually loses some of its effectiveness with progressive playing time. (Some estimates indicate it loses 40% of his effectiveness in the first hour of sport competition.)
Another problem with ankle taping is that it requires skill to apply the ankle tape and there is a certain amount of cost in taping the ankle on a regular basis. The cost is in the from of supplies and time spent by trainer.
On sports teams at the high school, college and professional level, professional trainers are available to provide the prophylactic taping, but recreational athletes and lesser programs typically do not have that option.
Taping or strapping and bracing are used to restrict undesired or potentially harmful motion but to allow desired motion. There are many types of tapes and bandages available to be used by athletes but only an adhesive tape is appropriate. Typically tape should be adhesive, strong, nonirritating and easy to work with.
Additional problems associated with tape application include reduced circulation if the tape is too tight, skin irritation due to mechanical or allergic phenomena and the fact that when placed under heavy strain, the tape may gradually lose its effectiveness. To maintain the desired support, it may be necessary to reapply the tape during breaks in athletic activity. The application of the tape is an acquired skill usually requiring an athletic trainer or someone else who has been properly trained.
At the present time, the only option to standard taping is some type of rigid brace. There are a number of different braces on the market. Some of them are lace up and others use VELCRO.RTM.. One of the most popular uses an air bladder between the brace and the skin, referred to as an Air Cast.TM.. The advantage of the braces, are they are easy to take off and on. They do not require a trainer. They are adjustable. They are less likely to irritate the skin. Over time, they are less expensive than taping if taping is required for a lengthy period.
By comparison, bracing has certain advantages over taping and it does not require the same skill level to be applied. It is usually more convenient and over a long period of time can be more cost effective.
The disadvantages of the brace include slipping during use, the excess weight and problems with sizing. To increase the mechanical support, stronger, harder materials can be used. However, the more that is added the bulkier it becomes and the more it restricts desirable ranges of motion while limiting undesired motion.
Most athletes do not like the ankle brace and find it confining and awkward and frequently they feel it slows them down and limits their performance. Additionally, bracing does not provide the proprioception feedback from the skin that is the important part of taping but cannot be matched by a brace.
Regarding the proprioceptional feedback, it is believed that tape acting on skin sends a signal to muscle surrounding the ankle to resist bending of the ankle. The reaction of the muscle is an important function of ankle taping.